Mechanism for making



(:No Model.) I

V FORBES; C. ,C. FRENCH & A. LEE.

MECHANISM FOR MAKING, BREAKING, AND SWITCHING ELECTRIC CIRCUITS FOR RAILWAY SIGNALS.

No."5'94,614 v Eqtented NOV. 30, 1897.

'UNITED STATES roMERoY. H. FORBES, CHARLES C. FRENCH, AND

. KANSAS. v

P TE T OFFER. I

ARTHUR LEE, OFTOPEKA,

" MECHANISM-FOR MAKlNG, BREAKma ANp SWITCHING ELECTRIC cmc unsroe RAIiLWAY-SIGNALSI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,614, dated November so, 1897.

I Application filed March 26, 1897 Serial No. 629,378. (No model.)

To aZZ. whom it .may'concrn:

Be it known that we, POMEROY H. FoRBns,

' CHARLES C. FRENCH, and ARTHU LEE, citizens of the-United States, residing at Topeka,

in the county "of Shawnee and State of Kansas,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Making, Breaking, and Switching Electrical Circuits for'Railway-Signals; and we do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

Our invention has relation to improvements in meansor mechanism for making and breaking electrical circuits for railwaysignals and the object is to provide improved means of the kind named and for the purposes intended which is simple in construction and certain and effective in operation.

- The hereinafter-described mechanism is designed to be operated by the Wheels of a car passing over the rails and contacting an actuating-bar disposed adjacent to thetrackrail, and it is intended to produce a device or apparatus which may be applied in all instances where a railway-signal is operated by electrically-controlled means, including closed wire circuit opened by the agency of apassing car and closed by the operation of the interposed mechanism.

We have fully and clearly illustrated the invention in the accompanying drawings,

' wherein away to. show the piston-valves.

Figure 1 is a side View of the device,.wherein the depressible bar or lever-is in raised or normal position, the cylinders'beingbroken Fig. 2 is a plan view. of the complete mechanism, the cover of the, casing or box being removed.

.Fig. 3.is a side View of the depressible-bar or lever in its normal' osition, showing it arranged in relation to he track-rail and acarwheel about to move thereon. Fig i is a side elevation showing the bar or lever depressed by a car-wheel which has passed n'harly over the length of the bar and as moving in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 5 is an end view in elevation, the closure or end of thecasing being removed to display the mechanism.-

A designates a rail of a section or block of disposed and secured a suitable casing B, consisting-of a box of proper material adapted to receive and hold the mechanism, and being made deeper on one side, as at d, to hold the air-cylinders, and having a side extension railway, adjacent or contiguous to which'is,

not so deep as the'other'part, as indicated at d in the drawings. A suitable cover'(no t shown) is provided to lie over the box and protect the inclosed mechanism from the elements and against unwarranted intrusion.

G G designaterock-shafts journaled in the respective side pieces of the box adjacent to.

the endsthereof, as atl, which shafts have their. ends projecting through one side .of the box, as at 1;, and on these projecting portions, ,desi gned to stand contiguousfto the 'D, which constitutes the element or medium by which the rock-shafts and the associated mechanism are actuated; The upper or con-' tact surface of the bar Dis made in a double incline, the inclines ascending from each end to the 'middle of the bar, as shown in the drawings. at 4 4:; The bar D is so disposed with its tread-face in relation to the tread of the rail as to stand with the initial poin s of contact flush 'with the tread of the rai so that when' anfoving car contacts with the bar from either directionthe respective rockshafts will be rocked,but not both, since from the construction and arrangement of thecsupports of the bar it will be perceived that the stroke from either direction will tend to throw the bar. in the direction ofthe force, as indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawings,- which shows the position the bar assumes when first struck and depressed, and which it maintains during the passage of the wheel. I

vAt suitable points on the rock-shafts C C are-secured short arms 5 5', the lower ends of which are secured to rods 6 6, sliding in guides or ways in supports 7 7', suitably lugs.

mounted and secured in the box, substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the draw.- The stems of the rods 6 6' are screwthroadcd, as at 8, and are provided with adjusting-nuts 9 9, which may be adjustcd'and set on the threaded stems tolodge against the guide-supports 7 7 and limit and control": the extent of the throw of the arms 5 5' on the rock-shafts and for the purpose of adjusting the bar I) to the proper height with relation to the face of the track-rail. To the inner ends of the rods 6 6' may be connected turnbuckles 1O 10', carrying between them a retractile spring 11, by which the mechan-- ism is returned to the normal position when the actuating lever or bar is released from the action of the depressing medium or carwheel. The turnbuckles may be used to alter the tension of the spring as may be necessary or desirable. On each rock-shaft is rigidly fixed a lug or finger 12, in the free end of which is fitted a contactscrew 12, which moves in the path of a contact-spring 13 and. stands normally in contact therewith.

To retard the return action of the contact mechanism, we provide the following-described rneans: In the deeper portion or compartment of the box are arranged two horizontally-disposed air-cylinders 15 15, their inner and approaching heads being formed with bearing-lugs 16, which are pivotally mounted on a shaft 17, secured across the box, the support being thus so as to allow the outer ends of the cylinders to move up and down a short distance to compensate for the variation in the movement of the piston-rods and permit the piston to pull in lino with the line of motion or force. In each of these cylinders is fixed a piston 18, having its head provided with valves 0, arrangedin such a manner as to let air in freely when the piston is withdrawn, but which prevent the escape of the air when the piston moves in the opposite direction. Any suitable valve may be used to effect the purpose, and to provide additional means for this purpose the valves may be increased in number to suit. In the inner head of each piston-cylinder is fitted a small petvalve 1;, which can be adjusted so as to permit the return movement of the piston to be rapid or slow, as may be desired. The piston-rod of each pistonis connected to an arm on the rock-shafts, so that when the shaft is rocked the piston will be withdrawn by the action which rocks the shaft. The object of these air-cylinders and their pistons is to prevent the deprcssiblc and actuatingbar from instantly returning to raised normal position and from being violently impacted by every passing wheel of a train. A further object, if desirable, is to prolong the separation of the electrical contact-points. It will be perceived that when theactuatinglever has moved the point of the contactscrew away from the contact-spring and the othei parts have been returned to their normal positions the contact will be retarded lows: A car moving in the direction of the arrow, as indicated in 3 of the drawings, passes onto the depressiblc bar and gradually but quickly depresses it from the time of con-.

tact until the middle of the bar is'reachcd, when it has been pushed down to its farthest limit and the tread is substantially in alinement with the face of the rail. As the bar is moved down the rock-shaft is rocked, the rotation carrying away the finger 12 from contact with the spring 13, and consequently opens whatever circuit may have been active through these elements. At the same time the movement of the rock-shaft through the action of the arm 6 extends the spring 11, so that when the actuating-bar is relieved of the pressure upon it the said spring will at once act in the effort to return the rock-shaft and connected parts to their normal positions, but will be retarded and resisted in the movement by the action of the pistons, which consequently retards the return of the electric contact, and thus the circuit will remain broken for a time long enough to permit the signaloperating mechanism to effect its purpose in operating the signal.

The circuits with the interposed batteries and signal mechanism are not shown further than to indicate their connections completing the circuits broken and closed by the mechanism of our device, and by reference to the drawings in Fig. 2 it will'be perceived that the circuits are through the contacts 13 and 14 by wires 10 w. I

What we claim is 1. A mechanism for making and breaking an electrical wire signal-circuit, comprising a depressible bar disposed parallel with the track-rail, a suitably-journaled rock-shaft, an arm on the rock-shaft connected to said bar,a finger on the rock-shaft,a contact-spriu g in the path of the said finger, circuit-wires connected to said contact elements, an arm on the rock-shaft, a threaded rod secured to this arm, an adjusting-nut on the threaded rod, a guide for the rod against which the nut lodges, a retractile spring secured to the threaded, rod, and means connected to the rock-shaftto retard the return movement of Ehe depressible bar and separation of the con- 2. A mechanism for making and breaking an electrical wire signal-circuit, comprising a suitable box or casing, a depressible lever or bar having a double-incline tread-surface arranged adjacent to the tread of the rail, rockshafts journaled across the box, arms connecting the rock-shafts to the ends of the depressible bar, depending arms on the rockshafts, a rctractilo spring connecting the depending arms to return the rock-shafts to normal positions, fingers on the rock-shafts, contact-springs in the path of said fingers, cir- IIO 'cuit-wires connected to said contact elements,

- air-cylinders in the casing, pistons in the cylinders, and arms connecting the piston-rods to the'rock-shafts.

3. A mechanism for makingand breaking an electrical wire signal-circuit, comprising a a suitableb'ox or casing, a deprcssible' bar or lever having a double-incline tread-surface arranged adjacent to the tread of the trackrail, rock-shafts journaled across the box,-

arms connecting the rock-shafts to the endsof the depressible bar, depending arms onthe rock-shafts, a retractile spring connecting the depending armsto return the rock-shafts to normal positions, fingers on the rock-shafts, contact springs in thevpath of'said fingers,

circuit-Wires connected to said contact elements, air-cylinders in the casing, regulatingvalves in the cylinder-heads to adjust and regulate the exit of air fronrthe cylinders, pistons in the cylinders, alves in the pistons to admit air when the pistons are withdrawn, and piston-rods'having their'ends connected to arms on the rock-shaft.

In testimony whereof We affix our signa- 25 tnres in presence of two Witnesses.

POMEROY H FORBES. CHARLES C. FRENCH. -e -,AR'PHITJ-l LEE-- I \Vitnesses: v I

JAMES R. W101i, J. G. CLARK. 

